Netflix has a tonne of shows and movies you can watch instantly, but it may be tricky to stay online while you’re on the road. Download episodes when you have access to Wi-Fi so you can watch them offline and save your mobile data for other uses.
Since launching downloads in November 2016, Netflix has improved the service’s functionality. In order to ensure that you always have something to watch offline, Netflix now allows you to customize your account according to personal preferences.
This allows you to receive automatic downloads, have them deleted from your account when you’re done viewing a movie or episode, and receive an infinite stream of fresh downloads to keep you entertained at all times.
Continue reading to find out how to use Netflix’s Smart Download capabilities, as well as how to download material manually.
How Do I Download TV Shows and Movies on Netflix?
If you’ve used Netflix on your mobile device before, you know that the “Download” button is immediately below the “Play” button. If you hit that button, it will begin downloading a local copy of the episode or movie you’ve selected.
Netflix content may be streamed or downloaded to play offline on a wide variety of devices, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV and media players, Windows 10 and Windows 11 desktop PCs, and certain Chrome OS laptops and media players.
By default, the Netflix app restricts downloads to Wi-Fi only, although this may be changed in the program’s settings. You may get individual episodes of a TV show by clicking the corresponding download icon.
There is also a dedicated Download Season button towards the top of a TV show listing on Android devices, beside the My List, Rate, and Share options. Netflix subscribers can maintain 100 total downloads across all of their eligible devices.
At the very bottom of the Netflix app is a button labeled “Downloads” (or “My Downloads” on Windows) that allows you to access and play any of your downloaded content. Your download preferences, including Smart Downloads, may be adjusted as well.
How Does the Smart Downloads Feature of Netflix Work?
With Netflix’s Smart Downloads feature, keeping track of your downloaded movies and TV series is a breeze. Both “Download Next Episode” and “Downloads for You” are the only two download choices available.
When activated, Download Next Episode will remove completed episodes of a TV show from your hard drive and download the next one in the season. This functionality is presumably enabled by default in Netflix apps.
The Download Next Episode option is activated in the Windows Netflix program when the Smart Downloads toggle is turned on, despite the fact that it is not specifically stated out as a separate feature. However, it is still a great feature to enjoy!
What is “Downloads for You” on Netflix?
Downloads for you extends Netflix’s existing automated erasing and downloading features, first introduced with “Download Netflix Episode”. The Chrome, Android, iOS apps, as well as some Chromeboxes and Chromebooks, support the functionality.
When you activate Downloads for You, Netflix analyzes your watching history and tastes to determine which movies and TV series you might enjoy. After you’ve finished watching, they’ll disappear forever, hence making sure you have enough space for the next.
To activate Downloads for You, navigate to the Smart Downloads settings via the the App Settings or “Downloads” tab) and then toggle on Downloads for You. If you enable this function, Netflix will set a daily data cap for your Netflix account, ranging from 0.5 GB to 9.5 GB.
What Movies and TV Shows Can’t Be Downloaded?
Netflix’s policy on allowing users to download movies and TV shows varies from title to title due to differences in content licenses. Netflix claims it makes a majority of its catalog available for digital download, and that when it doesn’t, there are often three reasons:
- The rights to this material are exclusively owned by another entity.
- You cannot acquire ownership of the material at this time.
- Reasons such as demand, pricing, and timing
Can I Watch Netflix Downloads in Any Country?
Netflix’s availability of any given film or TV show abroad is subject to the availability of appropriate content licenses in the nation in question. Downloaded movies and TV series are also subject to the same geographical limitations that prevent access to some titles when streamed abroad and will display an error message.
Even if you have a movie downloaded on Netflix at home, you won’t be able to watch it if you’re visiting a country that doesn’t offer that title. This is where using a VPN service may come in handy when figuring out how to watch American Netflix, which hosts a majority of the “download available” content for you to enjoy, regardless of where you’re located!
Wrapping Up
We hope this guide helps you in finding out how to download material from Netflix manually as well as how to alter your download settings so that Netflix can automatically manage your downloads using the Smart Downloads capabilities it offers. You may find the process to be a bit challenging at first, but with practice, you’ll soon become an expert!
